Why Aren’t Professional Practice Firms More ‘Social’?

Social media has become essential to large organisations as a strategic marketing tool. Organisations such as Coke have exemplified the benefits of the social media marketing. But when it comes to this topic what do Coke have in common with the Irish accountant or solicitor? Not that much obviously. They have a different industry, size, market share, geographical coverage, clientele etc. They may be worlds apart in terms of business strategies but when it comes to what they can achieve through social media, the benefits of using it as a marketing tool are evident.

Coca Cola on Facebook

One could dedicate a novel in praise of social media as a commercial tool however this short blog post will attempt to persuade you of it’s merits with a few clear points.

Firstly, we are conducting further research into social media usage in the professional practice sector, so please take our poll and view the results so far.

Let’s begin with the obvious, social media is free and flexible. With LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, WordPress and others there is a plethora of networks and mediums to choose from.

An additional advantage is self branding, or in other words ‘control’ over your image. Once you have been advised by a social media strategist on which route to take and how to use social media to win business you have control over content and postings as well as the option to update the various sites whenever it suits you.

Thirdly, placing your firm in a social media network creates another point of contact for clients, as well as allowing you to engage with clients or potential clients directly, or vice versa. Social media is about relationships and building up a rapport with clients or potential clients. The opportunities to interact with clients and communicate are many and varied, so take advantage of them. The goal of this interaction is that they will think of your firm first when the time comes.

Leading on from the previous point, the sheer volume of social media users warrants the investment of time into a social media program. A social media presence will increase exposure of your firm: 43% of the Irish population are on facebook. The statistics speak for themselves. This data should persuade even small businesses to ‘get social’ with their email and other marketing tactics.

Having the firm’s number in the yellow pages may have been good business practice in the 1970s, not anymore. By employing social media your business will invariably improve its web presence with minimal cost and effort – in essence it makes your firm more ‘findable’ in a world where it’s definitely more more Google, less Post Office.

Following our brief summary of the main benefits of social media, it is our responsibility to highlight that you cannot just ‘begin’ social media marketing your firm. ‘Jumping on the bandwagon’ does not necessarily mean success: if businesses just simply set up a social networking account and think that sales will start increasing, quite frankly, they are deluded. A poorly implemented strategy can do damage to your reputation. This is not a teenagers facebook page: to think in such a way is comparative to equating a home video to a television advertising campaign. A strategy must be made with a goal: as with any strategy it must be driven by objectives. Take a quick look at our guidelines (image below) which illustrate a basic outline of aspects to be considered and suggest how to organise your social media strategy.

CM Consulting's Guidelines for planning a Social Media Strategy

Well-designed social media programs serve the strategic plan as they integrate into and reinforce the core strategy of a firm. A successful social media program must be carefully planned, coordinated and executed. Social media can be a powerful tool once used properly.

CM Consulting TIPs: Protect your name Accountants and solicitors shouldn’t shy away from connecting in cyberspace —though there are always exceptions. At least grab a username, profiles are going fast and if you don’t pick your name today someone else might!

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CM Consulting

Who are we?

CM Consulting is a business consultancy group that focuses on the development and acceleration of professional practice firms. We work on behalf of accountants and solicitors looking to maximise their efficiency while increasing the value of their firm.